REMOVING BAD ENERGY

Brooklyn-based Donna Henes calls herself a “ceremonial artist and urban shaman.” She’s seen an upswing in requests for house blessings and cleansings from house sellers and real estate agents.

Henes’ ritual involves burning incense and natural herbs, ringing bells and sweeping brooms. First she goes from room to room trying to remove negativity from a home, then she invites in positive spirits. Sometimes the family or couple who lives there are asked to voice their own blessings.

Part of Henes’ ritual is to try to clear away any air of desperation. “You don’t want to be desperate because people are going to take advantage of that—or they’re going to be scared off by it.”

What if the house still doesn’t sell? Henes says the blessing is still worthwhile. “This helps you also to reason yourself to that, and not feel defeated and that you’ve failed.”

FROM BAD TO GOOD VIBRATIONS: Some nonreligious steps to take

Encourage positive energy by putting some family pictures or mementos on a dressing table, says Donna Henes.

Burn some frankincense, cedar, sage or camphor—all of which are said to have good cleansing properties.

Noise cleanses too. Henes uses bells.

Plants that are said to absorb negative energy are spider plants, philodendrons and rose of Jericho.

Tucson real estate agent Susan-Lisa Mueller is a fan of feng shui, in good and bad markets. I’m a fanatic about toilet seats being down. In feng shui, if the toilet seat is not down, the only money coming into the house will go right down the drain. Plus, let’s face it, when you’re looking at a house, who wants to look down a toilet?”